Keeping a bad employee on the team is expensive – and not just for the monthly salary paid. Companies that tolerate employees who do not deliver results face a cascading effect of losses ranging from accumulated labor costs to deep impacts on organizational culture and customer satisfaction. The problem is not just in the low individual performance, but in the invisible damages that spread throughout the business.
According to an analysis of theAccelerator Group, with the direct and indirect costs of a CLT employee, an inefficient employee can represent a huge lost investment over the months. In addition to labor charges such as INSS, FGTS, vacation and 13th salary, there is a cumulative cost of keeping this professional over periods of 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. The result? A significant expense with minimal return for the company.
In the case of an administrative employee with a base salary of R$ 4,000 under the Simples Nacional regime, the total monthly cost for the company exceeds R$ 5 thousand. At the end of 12 months, this amount can reach more than R$ 61 thousand.
The scenario becomes even more critical when the professional in question holds a leadership position. An administrative manager with a salary of R$ 10 thousand under the Presumed Profit regime can cost the company more than R$ 15 thousand per month, and the annual loss with this profile can exceed R$ 185 thousand. This does not take into account the invisible costs that further exacerbate this financial impact.
The invisible costs of a bad employee
Besides the financial impact, there are a number of silent losses that compromise the company's growth. "The first is the time spent on incorrect or poorly executed selection processes", in addition to training that does not result in productivity, once the wrong hiring, it probably won't work. Each inefficient employee requires more supervision, corrections and support, diverting the focus of the team and the managers, highlightsMarcus Marques, business management specialist and founder of the Acelerador Group.
Another critical factor is the contamination of the internal environment. Demotivated employees or those misaligned with the company culture drain the team's energy, reduce colleagues' engagement and create a cycle of dissatisfaction that can lead to talent loss. Bad employees not only fail to generate value for the business, but they end up harming those who really deliver results. This directly impacts productivity, the work environment and the company's financial results, punctuate.
The negative impact also affects the customers. Dysfunctional and inefficient teams provide service or quality below expectations, what can compromise the company's reputation in the market. Furthermore, keeping a low-performing employee occupies a position that could be filled by a more qualified and committed professional, becoming a blockage to business growth.
How to avoid this problem?
Detecting an employee who is not performing well can be challenging, but there are clear signs that can help you: frequent delays, recurring errors, resistance to feedback, many parallel conversations and lack of initiative are some of the main indicators. Monitoring performance through periodic evaluations (on completed deliveries and performance) helps to identify these behaviors before the damage becomes irreversible.
Once the problem is identified, the company should seek strategic solutions. Training and mentoring can be alternatives to try to reverse low performance, but, when there is no progress, the decision may be disconnection.
"Many companies insist on keeping employees out of fear of the cost of dismissal", but they forget to calculate the invisible cost of keeping them. When an employee is not contributing to the company's results, he is compromising his profitability. It's like I say, take time to hire (being careful in the hiring process) and be quick to fire, once you have already given 3 feedbacks without identifying change, Marques scores.
Besides the direct numbers, it is necessary to consider the invisible side effects that accumulate: HR time, use of internal resources, demotivation of the team, impact on customer experience and the risk of maintaining ineffective leadership that compromises the entire operation. "When the misaligned professional occupies a strategic position", the damages go beyond the operational and directly affect the future of the business, declare.
The importance of a high-performance team
Companies that invest in the qualification and retention of talent reap long-term benefits. Creating an environment that values performance and offers growth opportunities keeps the best professionals engaged, reducing the need for constant replacements and avoiding resource waste.
The secret is in building a strong organizational culture, where performance is valued and the right professionals are in the right places. The success of a company is directly linked to the quality of its team. Good employees drive growth, while misaligned professionals drain time, money and energy of the business. Knowing how to identify and act quickly in the face of internal problems is essential to ensure a productive and healthy environment, concludes Marques.
